William Michael Krebs

November 30, 1939 – May 24, 2026

Mike Krebs of Sudbury, MA, grew up in Schenectady and Syracuse, NY. He attended St. John’s Catholic Academy in Syracuse, NY; earned a Bachelor of Science in Pure Science from LeMoyne College (also in Syracuse) in 1961; and moved to Boston to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned a PhD in Analytical Chemistry in1966. He held fond memories of his school days. Known for his good memory, Mike was able to recall the names of all his St. John’s classmates well into his retirement years.

Mike had a lifelong interest in learning about the world around him, a never-ending curiosity about how things work, and a natural gift for electronics.

He enjoyed hiking, nature and wildlife. He spent much time in the White Mountains, climbing the Presidential range with work friends in his younger years, camping with his family, and later spending time at the family’s cottage in Madison, NH.

He was passionate about cooking – especially international cuisine – and used produce from his backyard vegetable garden when in season.

He also had a great appreciation for the arts, including classical music, opera, and the art of the Renaissance and Impressionists.

Mike was an avid reader of history, science and nature, as well as fiction and non-fiction. One of his favorite authors was John Le Carre. He also enjoyed classic Russian literature such as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekov.

Much of Mike’s career focused on the development of sensors and medical devices, for which he held several patents.

A career highlight was winning the 1979 I-R 100 Competition. The product he developed, the ORION Model 97-08 Oxygen Electrode, was cited by Industrial Research/Development magazine as one of the 100 most significant technical products of the year.

He was a member of the American Chemical Society for 53 years and continued to read up on the latest developments throughout his retirement.

Mike was a devoted husband to his wife of 63 years, Barbara Perkins, whom he is survived by, along with his daughter, Natalie MacKnight and husband David; his son, W. Andrew (Andy) Krebs and partner Keri Shapiro; his sister, Mary Fancher and husband Gerry Laundry; his nephew Jason Steenwerth; and many other loving nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents, William E. Krebs and Rose Sugalski Krebs, and his sister, Christine Steenwerth.

Donations in his name may be made to the Greater Boston Food Bank (gbfb.org) or National Audubon Society (Audubon.org).